aparker89's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A classic tale, older than time.
We all know Dracula, his real life niece Bathory ,and their reigns of terror. But what if there was someone else waiting in the dark? Camilla is charming, beautiful and witty but something dark is lingering behind her sparkling eyes. Meet Laura, a lonely young woman who wants nothing more than companionship and follow her tale of terror!
We all know Dracula, his real life niece Bathory ,and their reigns of terror. But what if there was someone else waiting in the dark? Camilla is charming, beautiful and witty but something dark is lingering behind her sparkling eyes. Meet Laura, a lonely young woman who wants nothing more than companionship and follow her tale of terror!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Gaslighting, Blood, and Death
Minor: Bullying, Lesbophobia, Toxic relationship, Chronic illness, Classism, Confinement, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, and Misogyny
filipa_maia's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
How come I had never heard of this book before?
I have this book for so long in my shelves and never looked at it twice... how? I know why... is this horrible cover, this cover is ugly. Anyway, I really loved this book. Who would thought that the predecessor of Dracula was a lady vampire...
This is a very short book with a great story in it. Very raw, very cruel, very tough. The way Carmilla manipulates people around her is very creepy and, at the same time, appealing. There is this constant sexual innuendo between the two (aparent) little girls that for todays standarts would be completly canceled. And there's also this thing with Carmilla choosing little girls... Maybe because they are virgins? Probably is from here that the myth around virgins and pure blood emerged... who knows? Maybe was just the author trying (and succeeding) to scandalize society back then.
The point it that this is a awesome book that every horror/vampire lovers should know about.
I have this book for so long in my shelves and never looked at it twice... how? I know why... is this horrible cover, this cover is ugly. Anyway, I really loved this book. Who would thought that the predecessor of Dracula was a lady vampire...
This is a very short book with a great story in it. Very raw, very cruel, very tough. The way Carmilla manipulates people around her is very creepy and, at the same time, appealing. There is this constant sexual innuendo between the two (aparent) little girls that for todays standarts would be completly canceled. And there's also this thing with Carmilla choosing little girls... Maybe because they are virgins? Probably is from here that the myth around virgins and pure blood emerged... who knows? Maybe was just the author trying (and succeeding) to scandalize society back then.
The point it that this is a awesome book that every horror/vampire lovers should know about.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Murder, Stalking, Child death, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Death of parent and Sexual harassment
maeverose's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.25
I guess I’m eating my words about not liking the writing style of classics, huh?
I loved the writing style of this book. It was atmospheric and gothic, I loved the setting of the castle and the grassy hills and the ruins of the old town. I just pictured fog over everything anytime they were outside. Now I just wanna have a picnic at old castle ruins in the fog with a pretty vampire. (Sadly that doesn’t happen in this book but it could’ve). This might be my favorite classic I’ve read so far… it’s at least tied with Dracula, but I think it tops it. It actually got pretty creepy at times.
Was also a little surprised how explicitly sapphic it was, given when it was written. I was expecting it to just be homoerotic in the way that classics sometimes are, or overtly homophobic. I think it’s safe to assume that the combination of sapphic elements and vampirism was very intentional.. automatically villainizing lesbianism by portraying it as a ‘virus’ that you can ‘catch’, something that’s evil and scary… But reading it it isn’t actually explicitly homophobic. It’s all subtext. It could easily be read through a more modern lens, removing that subtext.
I loved the writing style of this book. It was atmospheric and gothic, I loved the setting of the castle and the grassy hills and the ruins of the old town. I just pictured fog over everything anytime they were outside. Now I just wanna have a picnic at old castle ruins in the fog with a pretty vampire. (Sadly that doesn’t happen in this book but it could’ve). This might be my favorite classic I’ve read so far… it’s at least tied with Dracula, but I think it tops it. It actually got pretty creepy at times.
Was also a little surprised how explicitly sapphic it was, given when it was written. I was expecting it to just be homoerotic in the way that classics sometimes are, or overtly homophobic. I think it’s safe to assume that the combination of sapphic elements and vampirism was very intentional.. automatically villainizing lesbianism by portraying it as a ‘virus’ that you can ‘catch’, something that’s evil and scary… But reading it it isn’t actually explicitly homophobic. It’s all subtext. It could easily be read through a more modern lens, removing that subtext.
My only complaints:
•The racism. It’s only in one or two scenes, but it’s pretty bad in one scene especially.
•How naive Laura was, especially at the very end. She was supposed to be 19, right? How did she not connect the dots after the general’s story??? 😆
•It ended a bit abruptly, I felt.
•And lastly, I just wish we got more pretty atmospheric descriptions of the ruins. I was waiting the whole book for them to go there and when they did we didn’t get much :/ I would’ve liked more atmospheric descriptions in general, but at least we got some.
Overall, I’m really happy I liked this! I was starting to worry that classics just weren’t for me. Hopefully there are still more out there that I’ll love.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Death
Moderate: Child death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Lesbophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Death of parent, Sexual content, Suicide, and Ableism
Religious themes, beheading, cremation, sleep paralysis (not really but the descriptions are similar)shrutislibrary's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cannibalism, Murder, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Confinement, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Physical abuse
bugcollector's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Spoiler
The book read like someone trying to imitate a classic today, and I kept having to remind myself that it was actually written in 1800s
Perhaps the illustrations are to blame-they were lazy and disconnected from the story.
I felt like I was reading those modern-day romance books, with horrible, faceless characters design cover, that keep popping into your head at unwanted times . (except you couldn't escape the illustrations in this edition of Carmilla, They kept coming back with different backgrounds throughout the book)
It's kind of a shame, because scrolling thorough Wikipedia afterwards, you find that Carmilla has inspired many paintings and drawings which would have done a much better job delevering the gothic, eerie feeling it tried to convey. (instand of the children-coloring-book drawing attempt we got here)
What I did enjoy was the editors introduction, which brought a nice touch and a fresh perspective on the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Blood, Death, Grief, and Toxic relationship
jojo_'s review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Death, Ableism, Murder, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Lesbophobia, Medical content, Racism, Sexual assault, Misogyny, Classism, Incest, and Sexual content
tajosima's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.25
Loved this! Loved the drama! How dramatic our main character was while being naïve, but not in a way that made her insufferable. She was this way because she was protected by her father and because she was spoiled but also because she was a woman at this time. how everything evolved, the atmosphere around it.. *chefs kiss*
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting and Sexual assault
toffishay's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Carmilla is kinda sexy and it employs very creepy Gothic imagery and an engaging read. I have the edition with an introduction from Carmen Maria Machado and I loved that additional insight into the history and impact of this story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Gaslighting
Minor: Lesbophobia and Classism
melarareading's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I have to admit that even though this book was written a long time ago, I think that it is very easy to read and quite enjoyable. The ending was a bit of a letdown, though.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gaslighting
amalyndb's review against another edition
dark
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, and Homophobia
Moderate: Suicide, Grief, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Sexual assault
Minor: Racism